Scar Night


Alan Campbell - 2006
    But soon a shocking betrayal will unite all three in a desperate quest.... The last of his line, Dill is descended from legendary Battle-archons who once defended the city. Forbidden to fly and untrained even to wield the great sword inherited from his forebears, he has become a figurehead for a dying tradition. Now he lives a sheltered existence in one of Deepgate's crumbling temple spires under the watchful eye of the Presbyter who rules the city. Spine assassin Rachel Hael has better things to do than oversee the Presbyter's angel. Each dark moon she must fight for her life among the city chains, hunting an immortal predator with a taste for blood. But when a traitor brings enemies to Deepgate's doorstep, Dill and Rachel are forced into an uneasy alliance with the city's oldest and most dangerous foe. They must journey down into the uncharted chasm to save their sprawling metropolis--and themselves--from annihilation. Once they descend however, they learn that what lies below is far more sinister than what they've been taught to expect.

The Namarielle (Chronicles of Lashai Book 1)


Julien Jamar - 2018
    “So, how does a shepherd girl find herself in the Forest of Fondair, heading to the Kiatri to lead a crusade against the Fontre?” Cassai had untied her braid and was unraveling it. “Not a crusade, a war. Lashai belongs to us. We were free under the Namarielle. The land flourished, and the people had plenty. The Fontre took everything: our herds, our crops, our money, they even burned down our churches. Why would they do that?” Her gaze lingered on the darkness between the trees, and Hollis assumed this was a rhetorical question. "So, we’re going to fight them; our small band of Keepers and anyone else we can find to join us will fight for our Lashai. And if no one else joins, I’ll fight them alone. I just can’t live as their slave. I won’t."

The Dark of Light


Audrey Sharpe - 2017
     Captain Aurora Hawke loves a challenge. But her first mission comes with an unexpected catch. She has to accept the help of Cade Ellis, a man she’s spent years trying to forget. She doesn’t want his help. She wants to blow him out an airlock. Or let Jonarel Clarek, her overprotective engineer, tear him to pieces with his bare hands. Instead, she must convince the two hot-headed males to work together without killing each other. She’ll do whatever it takes. The survival of a planet depends on it. But what starts out as an investigation into a potential biological attack quickly reveals a much more insidious threat, thrusting Aurora into a face-to-face confrontation with a mysterious enemy of incredible destructive power. And triggering an unearthly ability she’s kept secret for twenty years…

The Great and Secret Show


Clive Barker - 1989
    Now, with The Great and Secret Show he rises to new heights. In this unforgettable epic he wields the full power and sweep of his talents. "Succinctly put," says Barker, "it's about Hollywood, sex and Armageddon." Memory, prophecy and fantasy; the past, the future, and the dreaming moment between are all one country living one immortal day. To know that is Wisdom. To use it is the Art. Armageddon begins with a murder in the Dead Letter Office in Omaha. A lake that has never existed falls from the clouds over Palomo Grove, CA. Young passion blossoms, as the world withers with war. The Great and Secret Show has begun on the stage of the world. Soon the final curtain must fall. In this, the First Book of the Art, Barker has created a masterpiece of the imagination that explores the uncharted territory within our secret lives and most private hearts. Sprawling, ambitious, triumphantly magical and satisfying, The Great and Secret Show is what the rest of life is all about.

The Hammer's Fall


Derick J.M. Summers - 2008
    And with curses and stares and sometimes with fists, the villagers of Solan Bay did their best to make sure he would never forget it.But on that day, the day the slavers came to Solan Bay and left him for dead in a pool of his own blood, everything changed. Logan learned the truth of his existence, of his destiny. Forged in the heat of battle, tempered in blood, Logan was an instrument of change. Fuelled by rage and loss, Logan begins a journey to set things right. If setting things right means changing the world – so be it!

Hammers on Bone


Cassandra Khaw - 2016
    He’s been hired by a ten-year-old to kill the kid’s stepdad, McKinsey. The man in question is abusive, abrasive, and abominable. He’s also a monster, which makes Persons the perfect thing to hunt him. Over the course of his ancient, arcane existence, he’s hunted gods and demons, and broken them in his teeth.As Persons investigates the horrible McKinsey, he realizes that he carries something far darker. He’s infected with an alien presence, and he’s spreading that monstrosity far and wide. Luckily Persons is no stranger to the occult, being an ancient and magical intelligence himself. The question is whether the private dick can take down the abusive stepdad without releasing the holds on his own horrifying potential.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Captive Angel


Cyndi McKay - 2019
     For modern day Gabrielle Ross, a college student and fencing enthusiast, the unexpected happens—a mysterious fog transports her back to the year 1760. Suddenly she finds herself aboard a sailing vessel where sea battles and sword fights make it far easier to die than to live. Branded a stowaway and a spy, she is forced to pick up a sword to defend herself. While being interrogated by a take-no-prisoners English sea captain, Gabrielle must fight for her independence in a time when women have none. While doing his part for "king and country" aboard the HMS Seawraith, Captain Sinclair has earned a reputation for courage and daring. Women find him irresistibly heroic, and yet, no woman has ever touched Damion’s heart—until a twist in fate has a fiercely independent 21st-century woman landing on board his ship. Though unsure if Gabrielle is friend or foe, Damion is drawn to the spirited beauty in ways he cannot deny. As he becomes increasingly intrigued by her unusual mannerisms, the defiant tilt to her chin and thunderous flash to her gray eyes, he begins to unravel her secrets. Damion embarks on a skilled seduction that not only places Gabrielle in his bed—but in his heart as well.

Daughter of Hounds


Caitlín R. Kiernan - 2007
    Stolen from their cribs and concealed in shadows to be raised by ghouls, they are now changelings in service to the creatures who rule the world Below and despise the world Above. Any human contact is strictly forbidden and punishment is swift and severe for those who disobey. Raised by her widower father, Emmie Silvey has a precocious personality and striking yellow eyes that have left her a solitary child. But that changes when two women enter her life-one who stalks her, one who haunts her dreams- both insisting that her entire life is a lie and warning her of an encroaching darkness.

Enlightenment (The Driel Trilogy #1)


Liz Keel - 2016
    Instead, she was attacked by a mysterious creature she thought only existed in fairy tales. Now thrown into the unknown realm of Faey, Thea is forced to determine the difference between reality and fantasy, in a world ruled by a dark elite and a society wracked by intolerance and prejudice. With the support of her new friends and a mysterious dark haired, blue-eyed guardian watching her every move, Thea will discover that when it comes to Faey, nothing is what it seems. Will her courage and desire to save this new world from darkness be enough? Or will Thea be the next victim to fall to the dark whispers of fate...

Perdido Street Station


China Miéville - 2000
    But when a half-bird, half-human creature known as the Garuda comes to him from afar, Isaac is faced with challenges he has never before encountered. Though the Garuda's request is scientifically daunting, Isaac is sparked by his own curiosity and an uncanny reverence for this curious stranger. Soon an eerie metamorphosis will occur that will permeate every fiber of New Crobuzon--and not even the Ambassador of Hell will challenge the malignant terror it evokes.

The Gormenghast Novels


Mervyn Peake - 1959
    At the center of it all is the seventy-seventh Earl, Titus Groan, who stands to inherit the miles of rambling stone and mortar that form Gormenghast Castle and its kingdom, unless the conniving Steerpike, who is determined to rise above his menial position and control the House of Groan, has his way.In these extraordinary novels, Peake has created a world where all is like a dream - lush, fantastical, and vivid. Accompanying the text are Peake's own drawings, illustrating the whole assembly of strange and marvelous creatures that inhabit Gormenghast.Also featuring:Introductory essays by Anthony Burgess and Quentin CrispTwelve critical essays, curated by Peake scholar Peter G. WinningtonFragment of the unpublished novel, Titus Awakes

Thirst Of The Rain God (Secrets of the Maya)


J.A. Kalis - 2019
    Ancient secrets.A fast-paced adventure where danger lurks around every corner.While exploring ancient ruins nestled deep in the lush Guatemalan jungle, a team of international archaeologists makes a stunning discovery. They find a sprawling network of tunnels and caves filled with man-made structures, intricately carved stone statues, inscriptions and murals that hint at the mythical Mayan underworld, Xibalba.Eager to learn more about the shadowy place, they descend further underground and stumble upon hidden passageways that seem to stretch forever, treasure-laden tombs and secluded chambers which show signs of ritual usage. But it soon becomes apparent that they are not alone in the vast subterranean maze. Someone else is there. Someone who is ready to kill to protect the sinister secrets that lay hidden there for centuries.Fans of gripping action adventure thrillers laced with archaeological mystery will love Thirst Of The Rain God. Also recommended for anyone interested in the ancient Maya.

The Incorruptibles


John Hornor Jacobs - 2014
    Riding along the banks are the mercenaries hired to protect it - from raiders, bandits and, most of all, the stretchers, elf-like natives who kill any intruders into their territory. The mercenaries know this is dangerous, deadly work. But it is what they do.In the boat the drunk governor of the territories and his sons and daughters make merry. They believe that their status makes them untouchable. They are wrong. And with them is a mysterious, beautiful young woman, who is the key to peace between warring nations and survival for the Empire. When a callow mercenary saves the life of the Governor on an ill-fated hunting party, the two groups are thrown together. For Fisk and Shoe - two tough, honourable mercenaries surrounded by corruption, who know they can always and only rely on each other - their young companion appears to be playing with fire. The nobles have the power, and crossing them is always risky.And although love is a wonderful thing, sometimes the best decision is to walk away. Because no matter how untouchable or deadly you may be, the stretchers have other plans.

Lovecraft's Monsters


Ellen DatlowElizabeth Bear - 2014
    P. Lovecraft, published his first story, the monstrosities that crawled out of his brain have become legend: the massive, tentacled Cthulhu, who lurks beneath the sea waiting for his moment to rise; the demon Sultan Azathoth, who lies babbling at the center of the universe, mad beyond imagining; the Deep Ones, who come to shore to breed with mortal men; and the unspeakably-evil Hastur, whose very name brings death. These creatures have been the nightmarish fuel for generations of horror writers, and the inspiration for some of their greatest works.This impressive anthology celebrates Lovecraft's most famous beasts in all their grotesque glory, with each story a gripping new take on a classic mythos creature and affectionately accompanied by an illuminating illustration. Within these accursed pages something unnatural slouches from the sea into an all-night diner to meet the foolish young woman waiting for him, while the Hounds of Tindalos struggle to survive trapped in human bodies, haunting pool halls for men they can lure into the dark. Strange, haunting, and undeniably monstrous, this is Lovecraft as you have never seen him before.Contents"Only the End of the World Again" by Neil Gaiman"The Bleeding Shadow" by Joe R. Lansdale"Love is Forbidden, We Croak & Howl" by Caitlín R. Kiernan"Bulldozer" by Laird Barron"A Quarter to Three" by Kim Newman"Inelastic Collisions" by Elizabeth Bear"That of Which We Speak When We Speak of the Unspeakable" by Nick Mamatas"Red Goat Black Goat" by Nadia Bulkin"Jar of Salts" and "Haruspicy" by Gemma Files"Black is the Pit From Pole to Pole" by Howard Waldrop and Steven Utley"I've Come to Speak with You Again" by Karl Edward Wagner"The Sect of the Idiot" by Thomas Ligotti"The Dappled Things" by William Browning Spencer"The Same Deep Waters as You" by Brian Hodge"Remnants" by Fred Chappell"Waiting at the Cross Roads" by Steve Rasnic Tem"Children of the Fang" by John Langan

The Narrator


Michael Cisco - 2010
    Cisco's prose, by turns phantasmagorical and exhilarating (reminiscent one moment of Robbe-Grillet, the next of Artaud, with a tinge of Thomas Ligotti, the imaginative virtuosity of Gene Wolfe or M. John Harrison), is like a stark sequence of strong iron bars, brimming with dark ambiance. Combining unmatched craft with masterful storytelling, this is literate fantasy unlike any other, intricate as the most elaborate dream, in which the narrator himself is the most ambiguous thing of all.